Keep these '5 Promises' to children

Published: Sunday, December 29, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, December 27, 2013 at 3:19 p.m.

Did you know that an estimated 5,567 Henderson County children live in poverty, or that 55 percent of students in public schools qualify for free or reduced-price lunches? How about the startling statistic that 231 local students are identified as homeless?

These are among issues that the Children & Family Resource Center plans to address in its 5 Promises Campaign, which begins New Year’s Day. The campaign will feature a monthlong Virtual Speak Out Conference that goes online Feb. 1 and a March 1 community meeting at Blue Ridge Community College.

The campaign is the next phase in the United Agenda for Children, an effort that began in 2007 when community leaders gathered to identify critical needs of children and to develop priorities in health, safety and education. The group identified seven priorities and has since reported progress in several areas, such as increasing access to nurses and mental health care in schools, and boosting housing that’s deemed affordable.

With the New Year and the 5 Promises Campaign, the Children & Family Resource Center is pushing the community to deliver five key promises to help ensure success for all children. The five promises are: be a caring adult; provide safe places; provide a healthy start; deliver an effective education; and provide opportunities to serve. The initiative is based on research from the National Academy of Science that finds children who experience at least four of the promises are significantly more likely to achieve academic success, avoid violence and become involved in their communities.

The promise “be a caring adult” is the key for individuals to make a difference. More than 22,500 children live in our county, accounting for about one of every five residents. Almost a quarter of them live in single-parent homes. The charge of every caring adult is to find ways to befriend, encourage, mentor and support a child.

Providing safe places is also a crucial goal when you realize that almost half of sexual assault victims served in the county are age 17 or younger. There can hardly be a higher priority than making sure children are safe in our homes, schools, neighborhoods and online.

Starting last Sunday and running through January, the Times-News is publishing articles on the challenges and gaps that exist in delivering the five promises. The Virtual Speak Out Conference that begins Feb. 1 offers a novel approach to gathering community input, provided people take the time to participate. The same is true of the March 1 community dialogue event at Blue Ridge Community College.

To encourage local business involvement, the campaign includes a competition through January. Local businesses that submit plans to address four of the five promises can compete for a $10,000 award, with the winner chosen from among five finalists at the March 1 event.

Organizers of this campaign understand that big changes take people pulling together over the long haul. Delivering on these promises will take creativity, commitment, passion and perseverance. The place for information is 5promiseshc.org.

<p>Did you know that an estimated 5,567 Henderson County children live in poverty, or that 55 percent of students in public schools qualify for free or reduced-price lunches? How about the startling statistic that 231 local students are identified as homeless?</p><p>These are among issues that the Children & Family Resource Center plans to address in its 5 Promises Campaign, which begins New Year's Day. The campaign will feature a monthlong Virtual Speak Out Conference that goes online Feb. 1 and a March 1 community meeting at Blue Ridge Community College.</p><p>The campaign is the next phase in the United Agenda for Children, an effort that began in 2007 when community leaders gathered to identify critical needs of children and to develop priorities in health, safety and education. The group identified seven priorities and has since reported progress in several areas, such as increasing access to nurses and mental health care in schools, and boosting housing that's deemed affordable.</p><p>With the New Year and the 5 Promises Campaign, the Children & Family Resource Center is pushing the community to deliver five key promises to help ensure success for all children. The five promises are: be a caring adult; provide safe places; provide a healthy start; deliver an effective education; and provide opportunities to serve. The initiative is based on research from the National Academy of Science that finds children who experience at least four of the promises are significantly more likely to achieve academic success, avoid violence and become involved in their communities.</p><p>The promise “be a caring adult” is the key for individuals to make a difference. More than 22,500 children live in our county, accounting for about one of every five residents. Almost a quarter of them live in single-parent homes. The charge of every caring adult is to find ways to befriend, encourage, mentor and support a child.</p><p>Providing safe places is also a crucial goal when you realize that almost half of sexual assault victims served in the county are age 17 or younger. There can hardly be a higher priority than making sure children are safe in our homes, schools, neighborhoods and online.</p><p>Starting last Sunday and running through January, the Times-News is publishing articles on the challenges and gaps that exist in delivering the five promises. The Virtual Speak Out Conference that begins Feb. 1 offers a novel approach to gathering community input, provided people take the time to participate. The same is true of the March 1 community dialogue event at Blue Ridge Community College.</p><p>To encourage local business involvement, the campaign includes a competition through January. Local businesses that submit plans to address four of the five promises can compete for a $10,000 award, with the winner chosen from among five finalists at the March 1 event.</p><p>Organizers of this campaign understand that big changes take people pulling together over the long haul. Delivering on these promises will take creativity, commitment, passion and perseverance. The place for information is 5promiseshc.org.</p>